Panthers padlocked, left in cold

Status of the Eastern Indoor Football League season is unclear.
By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MASURY -- The heavily snow-covered driveway leading to the Thunder Dome where at least two Northeast Ohio Panthers players believed their indoor football league team would be playing its home game Friday night told part of the story.
How could the players, coaches and any fans with anything but a four-wheel-drive vehicle negotiate the uphill approach to the building on Bedford Road?
Upon closer inspection, the Thunder Dome's padlocked door was the rest of the story.
Ready for game
Paul Macklin and another Panthers player who identified himself only as "Porkchop," arrived in plenty of time Friday evening for their 7 p.m. game against the 3 Rivers Rats of Pittsburgh.
When the two defensive linemen weren't able to make the climb, they parked in a neighboring driveway and stayed warm in their cars while waiting.
After calling a teammate via cellphone, the men said they were told that the Eastern Indoor Football League's weekend games were canceled.
The Mahoning Valley HitMen and Mid-American Buzzards were other EIFL teams scheduled to play tonight, according to a schedule on the Thunder Dome's front door.
"We heard that the scheduled dates will be bumped back," Macklin said, "with games to be played at the Golf Dome in Girard."
However, the Buzzards are reported to have pulled their EIFL membership after last week's game against the Panthers, a 56-6 loss, according to Macklin and "Porkchop."
In the game, a Buzzards player was injured and, reportedly, league insurance coverage is non-existent.
Macklin and "Porkchop" said, however, that they are protected under personal insurance.
Won't happen
The Buzzards were scheduled to play the HitMen this weekend.
"Big Mac" Macklin and "Porkchop" also said they were told by a Thunder Dome neighborhood resident that, on Wednesday, EIFL commissioner Jim Terry was seen walking toward the Thunder Dome before police arrived.
"Supposedly, he went up to the Dome to get something and the cops came," they said.
Both Macklin, a 30-year-old who said he played at Duquesne, and "Porkchop," a 33-year-old who said he played at Ashland College, were on the Penn-Ohio Raiders semi-pro team last summer.
While the Panthers had a full 25-man roster for last Sunday's game, Macklin and "Porkchop" said the Buzzards only had about 15 players.
"That's a six- or seven-hour drive," "Porkchop" said of the visitors.
In the game, Macklin, a 1995 graduate of Champion High, said he had three fumble recoveries, including one for a 30-yard touchdown.
"Porkchop," a 1991 graduate of Rootstown High, said he caused four fumbles, had two sacks and three tackles for losses.
Dome is home
Terry is also coach of the HitMen, whose home is the Thunder Dome. The team's 2007 schedule is posted on the door of the building at 1158 Bedford Rd. SE.
The poster lists a seven-game regular-season schedule, including tonight's game against Mid-American at 7:35 p.m.
EIFL playoffs were to be played April 6-7 with the EIFL championship game on April 14.
A phone call to Thunder Dome owner Steve Lisko was not returned.